What Matters to the Heart
by SarCuppCake
Summary: When the world goes to shit Harper LaVeaux, finds herself a long way from home struggling to survive a scary new world that she wasn't prepared for. Daryl Dixon is an antisocial surly redneck who'd rather spend his time hunting than with the group he was forced into by necessity but the more time he spends with the group the more he is drawn to Harper. Daryl/OC.
1. Chapter 1: The Lights of Atlanta

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of the genius that is The Walking Dead I however do adore very much. I do however own Harper LaVeaux, Nickie Abrams, and James Beauchamp.

**Author's Note:** Alright so this is a fiction that I started last summer. It was the first Walking Dead fic that I had written and while the back ground story for it was really good and I adored the characters I kinda lost focus on it and couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with it. After much thought and reading back over it I decided to do a rewrite on it. While the character development was really good everything felt really rushed. So I've decided to go back and turn it into the story it should have been I hope you all enjoy it.

**Chapter 1: The Lights of Atlanta**

It was sticky summer night in Georgia, Harper knew that she should be sleeping but she couldn't seem to get relaxed. Knowing that no matter how long she laid her bunk she'd never be able to settle down she stood up quietly careful not to wake Nickie. She dressed in pair of cut off jean shorts that hugged her curves under the heather grey cami she'd been attempting to sleep in. After she stuffed her feet into a pair of pink Ugg boots she walked to the front of the bus where James, their driver/security guy, was sitting behind the wheel. He had the radio on the emergency station; of course every station in the past few days had been turned into an emergency station. "Anything new?" she asked looking out at the traffic jam that had engulfed I-75 into Atlanta as she set down in the seat beside of him and propping her feet up on the dash.

"Haven't heard anything new since we got here," James said in frustration turning off the radio.

"Do you wonder if things would have been this bad if the troupe hadn't left New Orleans?" she asked. Deep down Harper knew the truth but still it was something that she needed to voice.

"From what I've heard, Miss Harper this thing's bad everywhere," James said looking over at her. "Revelations, it said the dead was gonna walk again I just didn't 'spect it to be like this."

Harper smiled reaching over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "You're not gonna get all superstitious on me now are you?" she smiled at him. She knew all about the man's religious and spiritual beliefs. To anyone else the two were one in the same. To people like James and her Nana Lytie they were two completely different things.

James covered her small hand with his large black one. "You tellin' me that you were raised in N'Owlins your last name are LaVaux and you don't believe in no zombies?"

Harper laughed, several days ago if anyone would have asked if she believed in zombies she would have laughed at them to their faces. Sure she'd grown up with tales of Marie Laveau and her voodoo her whole life. Hell when she was 16 she'd even went to the famous priestess's grave and marked it with an 'X'. To this day the wish that she made still hadn't come true, she had yet to meet a man who didn't consider her swamp trash and accept her for who she was. Today was a different story; the burlesque troupe that she danced for had at one time had ten other girls in it besides her. Nine of them were lost along with their manager and wardrobe person: Two committed suicide, three left on their own looking for an alternate way back to Louisiana, three more just disappeared from the hotel room, and the last girl and their wardrobe manager turned. All in in all it had been a hell of a week one right out of their worst nightmares. Harper just hoped that she'd wake up any day now. All that was left was her, Nickie Abrams, and James Beauchamp. They were a long way from home and didn't seem to be getting any closer anytime soon either. "You are somethin' else James. Besides I'm LaVeaux with an 'X' she was Laveau there's a difference." She said giving him a kiss on his cheek. "I'm gonna go check and see if anyone's heard anything."

"Now you be careful out there Miss Harper there some rough types hanging around." He said. "Lytie would have my head if I let somethin' happen to you."

Harper smiled at the mention of her grandmother, she knew what James was saying was true, the fact that she was 26 and an adult really didn't matter all that much. "I promise I won't go too far." She said as she climbed off of the aging bus. Harper wasn't exactly sure where Lucy, the owner of the gentleman's club she worked for had managed to find the ancient thing. It had originally been a greyhound bus in the 1950s, after its retirement it had been bought by Lucy and refurbished sometime during the late 90s. The woman had been so damn proud of the thing that nobody had the heart to tell her that the money she put into the refurb probably could have bought her a brand new bus. Of course it wouldn't have had the character as the Big Beast did. Besides she was able to have it rebuilt to her exact specifications. Not only was it comfortable enough for ten dancers, the gig manager, and a security guard to live in while on the road it also doubled as a dressing room when it was needed to be one.

The cool night air was a refreshing change from that of the steaming air on the bus. In fact, as a chill came over her skin it was almost enough that it made her wish she would have pulled a light sweater on over her cami. She still couldn't get over the eerie feeling she got every time she looked around the parking lot that was once a major highway. To the casual looker one would swear this was some sort of festival, the way people were standing around. Harper ran her hands over her arms as she walked up to where some of the people that she'd met earlier that day were standing. "Heard anything new?" she asked Shane Walsh. She knew that the cop had been listening to his scanner most of the day. In fact he'd been the source of most of the new information that they'd been able to receive in the last few days.

Shane shook his head as he looked down at Harper, "Just the same emergency recordings." He said running his hand over his face. The stress of everything that had been going on, his best friend Rick getting shot and being in a coma, all the shit that was going on the world, having to get Lori and Carl out of King County it had all wore on him. He was exhausted on far too many levels he had no idea how he was going to keep them safe if he couldn't get them to the goddamn refugee center.

"Damn." Harper said pushing her hair from her face. Every time she heard that there was no new information it made her inner child whimper and demand to go home. The problem was that home was 470 miles away and that was a straight trip not including all of the road blocks that were now in place. "I really hope they figure something out soon." She wrapped her arms around her waist, the tone of her voice sounding a little more desperate than what it was meant to. "There are three of us in that bus and we're already starting to get low on food and water."

The woman standing to her left, Carol, patted her on the arm. "Don't you worry my husband is into this military stuff we have enough MREs to feed a small army." She said. Of course Harper had gotten a good look at the woman's husband and by the look on his creepy face; Harper knew that he wasn't planning on sharing anything unless it involved an exchange of bodily fluids. She might spend most of her evenings dancing in her knickers, that didn't mean she was going to whore herself out for food. They weren't starving yet.

"Don't worry they have to start letting more people in soon." Lori said.

Harper nodded and stuffed her hands in her pockets, "I hope so."

"How are your people holding up?" Shane asked.

She shook her head, "They're doing as best as can be expected. We're all scared shitless and we're a really long away from home. We've lost a lot of people too."

"Must be hard," Lori said putting her arm around the younger girl.

Harper could tell that Lori's action was all show; she didn't know why she felt that way. Earlier that day, she'd learned that Lori's husband had been a Deputy Sheriff, in the small town that they lived in. that was before he was shot on the job and went into a coma before dying. She couldn't put her finger on but there was something about Lori that wasn't right. It was almost like she put on the show of good mother and grieving wife. Maybe she had the woman all wrong but she felt like the woman was a fraud.

Before Harper had a chance to say anything Shane cursed and cut the radio off. "They stopped broadcasting about the refugee center."

Lori blanched; it was the first real emotion that Harper was sure she'd ever seen the woman show. "They can't be turning people away." She said.

"They'll have a riot on their hands if they do." Shane said putting his hand on Lori's shoulder.

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard a loud explosion. After asking Carol to look after her son Carl: Lori, Shane, and Harper ran over to the bluff that over looked Atlanta's skyline. A skyline that was irrupted in flames, the army was napalming the city.

"Oh my God!" Harper gasped as lifted her hand to her mouth. Her first thought was that she had to be dreaming that was the only explanation for what was happening right before her eyes. It was a really horrible dream and damn she had a good imagination cause those bombs sounded real and so did the sound of the of the people panicking in from of them.

"Harper you gotta get to your bus to your people and get them out of here." Shane said looking down at her. When he realized that the tiny blond was getting ready to go into shock he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her a little before repeating what he'd said. "You get them and run into the woods okay you go with Lori and Carol. You dont come out until I come find you is that clear?"

Harper nodded she didn't say anything else before running to her bus and jerking the door opened. "They're bombing the city something bad is going on we have to get into the woods the people on the road are panicking." She didn't say anything else before running to the back of the bus. "Nickie get your pampered ass out of bed we gotta go now." She said jerking one of the drawers opened and grabbing her best friend some shorts.

"We at the refugee center?" Nickie asked with a yawned as she caught the clothes Harper through at her.

Harper was still unsure of exactly how her best friend had managed to sleep soundly with everything going on. Of course that was just Nickie, the girl slept through Katrina too. "No, the National Guard is dropping napalm on the city. I dont know about you but I'm thinking fuck that refugee center...that's game." She said grabbing her sweater off of the end of her bed and pulling it on. "We have to haul ass."

"I accept that." Nickie said. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"Hang on." Harper said grabbing the baseball bat she kept under her bed. As odd as it might sound shed taken to carrying the bat with her on tour as a way to blow off steam. When you have drunk bachelors watching you perform an actual full act and having them to yell 'show us your tits' while you're in the middle of belting out a song, well you had to find creative ways to blow off steam. Harper had started going to batting cages and for that reason she felt comfortable wielding it as a weapon if she needed it to be one.

"You and that bat." Nickie laughed.

"Hey now you just leave Mick alone." She said.

"You named your bat?" Nickie asked as the climbed off of the bus.

"You named your vibrator." Harper said in defense as she clutched the bat in her hand before she and Nickie headed into the woods.


	2. Chapter 2: The Fall of Atlanta

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the genius that is The Walking Dead which I adore very much. I do however own Harper LaVeaux, Nickie Abrams, and James Beauchamp. **

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Fall of Atlanta **

The sun was just starting to rise over the Atlanta skyline as Harper and Nickie along with Lori and Carol and the kids made it out of the woods. It was hard to believe that they were in the same place that they'd been only hours before. The air was thick with the smoke that was rising from the ruins of Atlanta, there were less people coming back to the highway. Many had turned and ran that night; though nobody voiced it aloud they knew that many had died. The cars that had been parked closets to the city were still burning, Harper was just glad that they'd been far enough away that they hadn't been hit as hard as some. While one might think of it as being completely materialistic, she had no idea where they would be without the Big Beast. It was the closest to home she could possibly be. If things were this bad in Atlanta she didn't want to even consider what would be going on in the Crescent City. Besides if she thought about home she thought about her Nana Lytie on her own.

James was standing beside of the bus along with Shane, Ed and some new faces. They were people they'd met up with the night before an older gentleman named Dale and his two companions Andrea and Amy; two brothers Merle and Daryl Dixon; Glenn an Asian kid who was on his own, and a man named Jim who'd actually managed to get out of Atlanta only by sheer miracle. "This is bad." Harper said as she and Nickie walked up to James.

"We're getting' the hell out of here." James said. "The two brothers, Merle and Daryl they know 'bout a rock quarry not too far from here. It's secluded we're gonna set up camp there."

"Is it a good idea being close to the city?" Nickie asked. "What if the National Guard stars to move outward doing their sweeps?"

"Ain't likely that's gonna happen." The younger brother said adjusting the strap to his crossbow which was slung over his shoulder. "Mostly they were trying to handle what was in the city."

"We figure they're trying to protect the CDC at all costs." Shane said.

"Ain't that what I just said?" Daryl asked then mumbled the word prick under his breath. Harper couldn't help but smile a bit at the man.

"We gonna do his we need to hustle." Merle Dixon said. "We got about a half hour drive ahead of us and we need to make camp before nightfall."

Shane nodded, "Man's right, Merle's gonna lead the caravan on his bike everyone else will fall in behind him. Everyone who has radios tune in channel 9 keep the chat to the bare minimum people emergency only, those who don't a sharp blow on the horn and we stop."

With that the group broke up and everyone headed to their vehicles and pulled out.

Harper dropped down in the seat beside of James propping her feet on the dash as they made their way through the winding road. Though nobody said it they all knew that they wouldn't be getting back to Louisiana anytime soon, they didn't need to say it. "So you think this is for the best?" she asked.

James nodded, "I do, right now we don't have much of a choice. We need a group to band together with, I think it's the only way we're gonna get through this."

"What's your take on these people?" she asked. If there was something James was good at it was reading people. "Most of them are good people."

"Most?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Not too sure 'bout them Dixons," he shrugged. "They's rough types wouldn't put much past them."

"Rough types they might be but they're saving our asses right now. They don't have to do that." Harper pointed out.

"Sure they don't." James said, "They's as much up shit creek as we are. You and Nickie you keep away from them is all."

Harper smiled, "We're capable of takin' care of ourselves." She patting his hand which was on the gear stick.

The rock quarry was everything that the Dixons said that it would be. It was close enough to the city that when things settled down they'd be able to make runs into it but far enough away they're were less chances of those dead things finding them. They found a clearing at the top of a hill just above where the water was and circled their cars around; it kinda reminded Harper of those old western movies with the wagon trains. Once everyone was settled in they started pooling supplies. Ed Peletier did so grudgingly it was clear that he had no intention of sharing his MREs but that had been the price of admission. The whole afternoon everyone worked hard setting up tents and shifts for keeping watch on Dale's RV. While they were sure they wouldn't have any problems they still didn't want to be caught with their asses hanging out.

Merle was leaning against the side of his brother's truck while Daryl was on the bed untying their camping gear. He was watching as everyone bustled around the camp, or at least he was pretending to watch the people, truth was he was watching the blond and the brunette who was living in the old greyhound. While he wasn't exactly a fan of large groups of people he was glad he let his brother talk him into joining the group, it would have its advantages. That is some fine ass pussy." He said to Daryl who was getting his supplies ready to go out on another hunt.

Daryl raised an eyebrow at his brother, "That's some fine pussy that you won't never get near brother."

"You sayin' they're too good for Ole Merle?" Merle asked.

"Hell yeah that's what I'm sayin'." Daryl said taking a few minutes to appraise the girls while they helped gathering food for dinner. "Sides you'd have to find a way around their bodyguard." He nodded to middle aged black man who'd been looking after the girls.

Merle laughed, "You think that old nigger could stop me if I want one?"

Daryl shrugged but didn't say anything. He'd grown up with Merle's over the top boisterous personality as was able to for the most part take it with a grain of salt. There was one thing about his brother though; he did have excellent taste in women. Granted just because he had an eye for beauty didn't mean that's what he was known for bringing home at night. Still Daryl wasn't blind and if he was honest with himself he'd had his own fair share of thoughts about the blond, he however wasn't sure what it was about the tiny woman that held him captive. After all he normally went for females that were durable, he was sure that if someone got a little too rough with her they'd break her. She barely stood at 5'4 and had platinum blonde hair that hung to the middle of her back. Her face was perfectly oval with high cheek bones and big blue eyes. She was skinny but had curves in all the right places. She kinda remained Daryl of one of those actresses you'd see in a black and white movie, Jean Harlow or Marilyn Monroe. She was the type of woman that any man would dream of having under them. Lost in thought Daryl hadn't noticed when Merle started talking again until his brother waved his hand in front of his face. "Sorry." Daryl said turning back to his truck were their gear was at.

"You think she's a natural blonde?" Merle laughed.

Daryl wrinkled his brow and gave his brother a weird look, "How the fuck would I know?"


End file.
